Another Place in the Heart
by CocoDisney
Summary: Nearly a year after the events of "Destiny", D-FIB has everything she could ask for: a loving husband, great friends, and a home. Yet, there's something inside of her that tells her she needs one more thing to complete her life. Which is confusing, until a little robot with a childlike mind enters her life...
1. Empty Place

(Note: I don't own _WALL-E _or any of its characters. I only own my OC, which you will meet in this chapter.)

**Hi, everyone. CocoDisney here. I finished making this story faster than anticipated, so here you go. I decided to just post the whole thing at once. Especially since I will be leaving soon. (If you read my latest story, you know why.) Also, after this I want to focus more on my Pixar story, so I'm getting this out of the way. For these reasons, you will not find another author note until the end of this story.**

D-FIB's blue eyes blinked into view on her screen as her system rebooted after a long shutdown. Slowly, she levitated into the air. She turned to see her husband, the cleaner-bot M-O, still cubed into a sleeping position. Smiling in amusement, she reached out and pressed his restart button.

M-O uncurled, his yellow squares focusing on her. "_Good morning,_" he greeted.

"_Good morning to you, too._" D-FIB said.

M-O looked out of a window to find that the other robots were already hard at work. "_Did we end up oversleeping again?!_" He asked, eyes wide with realization.

"_I'm afraid so. It's not like we _have _a certain time we _need _to be at work, though._" D-FIB pointed out.

"_But it's been almost a year since our marriage and we've always been later than the others since!_"

"_Fair point. But I know how much you love late-night cuddles._" D-FIB brushed against his side for emphasis.

M-O sighed. "_Okay, I'll admit I am to blame for this. We need to get an alarm or something!_"

D-FIB giggled. "_Maybe we can ask the Captain later today._"

M-O smiled, and held out his brush. "Sure."

The defibrillator-bot took it, and together they went bounding out of their home.

Their home was small, but roomy enough for both them and their charging station, which had been installed shortly after they moved. Like the other buildings, the place was covered in dirt and grime, trash was found everywhere they looked, and was barely holding together. With the help of other bots, the house was cleaned, repaired, and refurbished. A colorful sunset was even painted on one of the walls, courtesy of their friend VN-GO.

Flourishing, lucious, green plants dotted the once infertile dirt, flower buds starting to reveal their vibrant petals. A few grasshoppers chirped in chorus as a soothing breeze blew across the land.

M-O fired up his brush and began to scrub the filth off of a building, having gotten used to the fact that he had to put on a smock in order to protect his cassette player.

D-FIB headed inside a building to find a circuit waiting for her. She gathered up some electricity, then brought it down on the battery, kick-starting a series of lights. Soon, the whole room was illuminated.

Giving a satisfied bleep, D-FIB gazed outside, a deep ache in her chest that had been there for a while made itself known.

It wasn't there at first. In the first few months since her marriage with M-O, life had been nothing but blissful. Then, what started out as a dull twinge manifested into a painful throb.

At first, she didn't know where the source came from, but then realized it was because she somehow felt her life was incomplete.

Incomplete? Why was that? D-FIB was perfectly content with M-O and her friends. Why should she feel that way?

Her train of thought was interrupted when WALL-E and EVE, the other married couple, greeted her. She shook her head to rid herself of her thoughts, then waved.

D-FIB then went out of the building to go to another one. She could focus on her inner struggles later.

When the ten-minute break was announced, M-O and his wife met up, as usual. "_Remember the alarm?_" He asked.

"_Yes. Let's go,_" she said rather quickly.

M-O cocked his head, curious and a little concerned, but decided not to say anything for the time being.

The two robots headed to the great _Axiom_, where Captain B. McCrea was during the day, getting as much useful information as he could from the computer.

But when they got to his office, they found themselves immediately being ushered in another direction by McCrea.

"M-O, D-FIB, so glad you two came! There's someone I want you to meet!" He stated enthusiastically.

The couple looked at each other, both wondering the same thing.

They stopped in a small room. At a glance, they could tell someone had sloppily scribbled the walls with crayons and paint, all sorts of small colorful items on the ground, and a book lying on the floor, its pages vandalized, crumpled, and ripped. M-O's siren would've started going off if he still had it on.

"Sorry for the mess, he really likes creating them!" McCrea apologized.

"Who?" M-O inquired.

"Oh, right. Benny! You've got visitors!"

A high-pitched shriek made M-O jump back in surprise. The Captain maneuvered his way throughout the room and opened a door that connected the area to another. When the door swung open, the first thing D-FIB noticed were the pair of eyes that peered curiously at her.


	2. Sparks

They were a shade of emerald-green.

That was unusual. Most robots, including D-FIB herself, had blue eyes. M-O was one of the few who didn't have that eye color, but even he seemed surprised by them.

They were also circular, like EVE's, giving the tiny bot a rather cute appearance.

"Come on, Benny. It's okay. They are friends." McCrea coaxed.

The new robot, now known as Benny, albeit cautiously, made his way into the room, so everyone could see his full form.

His body-shape was similar to M-O's, except he had arms that looked like a smaller, more cubed, version of an extraterrestrial vegetation evaluator's. He was also at least half the size of the cleaner-bot.

There was a single red streak going vertical on the top of Benny's head, and a blue dot on the sides.

D-FIB, feeling confident, came up to him. "D-FIB," she introduced herself.

Benny stayed silent for a moment, processing the new word, then tried to repeat it. "D-De-e….f-feeb?" His voice sounded like a child M-O.

The defibrillator chuckled at the mispronunciation. "_Dee-fiib_," she said more slowly.

Benny again tried to say her name, only to still end up botching it. For his sake, D-FIB decided to make it easier. "Dee," she stated, pointing at herself.

"Deeee." Benny repeated. He smiled, then began saying it over and over, evidently enjoying himself. "Dee, Dee!"

M-O watched the whole thing. He noticed how D-FIB seemed to connect with the newcomer right away. He knew he should be happy for her, but couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

D-FIB then pointed at him. "M-O."

Since it was more simple, Benny had no trouble pronouncing it, although with one syllable instead of two. "Moe."

He went on with his little mantra, spinning around in circles. D-FIB laughed, amused by his antics. She just then noticed M-O was staying on the sidelines.

"_Come on, M-O._" She grabbed his brush, then yanked him over.

Benny halted, staring at the cleaning droid, his eyes studying him, then, without warning, clasped onto his brush.

"Woah, woah!" M-O shrieked, trying to shake Benny off, the latter just giggling. Even D-FIB and McCrea were trying their best not to snort.

Thankfully, the human glanced over at the clock. "Oh, you two should've been back to work a long time ago! I'm sorry for keeping you here for so long. Benny, it's time to say goodbye."

Luckily, at that moment, Benny got tired of tormenting M-O, and ungrasped the roller. M-O sighed in relief, rotating his brush to make sure it still worked.

D-FIB was hesitant to leave, but she knew that she couldn't abandon her work. Saying goodbye, she and M-O left the room. She then had a thought.

The ache in her chest wasn't there the whole time Benny was around.


	3. Insight

M-O and D-FIB made their way back to their home, the sun sinking below the horizon. The defibrillator-bot found that she was unable to get Benny out of her head.

"_Looks like we'll have to try again tomorrow to get the alarm._" M-O said.

"I know." D-FIB replied, a bit of sadness in her tone.

M-O stopped moving. He knew that there was something going on. He had learned to read D-FIB like a book.

"_Is there something I should be aware of?_" He asked.

"No." D-FIB responded, a little too quickly.

"D-FIB, _I can tell something is definitely wrong. I thought you learned that it's okay to open up to others. I'm your husband, for goodness sake! I'm here if you need me._"

D-FIB sighed. She had gotten used to keeping things bottled up. Old habits die hard, she guessed.

"_Look, I can't stop thinking of Benny, okay?!_" Her voice was harsher than she meant, as M-O visibly flinched and leaned back.

He slowly straightened up, taking in her words. He wasn't fond of the child-bot, after all, who would want to be unexpectedly grabbed?

D-FIB took a few deep breaths, recovering from her outburst. "_I assure you that I don't think of him as I think of you. After all, no one can replace you, M-O. It's just that I feel this connection somehow, like he's meant to be part of my life in some way._"

M-O gave her a comforting spark-kiss. He then said, "_D-FIB, you didn't need to hide this. I'll admit, I do feel a bit...jealous._"

"_Jealous?_"

"_Yes. It's just that I'm not used to seeing you being happy with someone else other than me or our friends. But being happy is what I want for you, D-FIB. Even at the cost of my own. A little jealousy is worth seeing your smile._"

"Oh, M-O! _What will I do without you?_" D-FIB cried happily, practically smothering the cleaning droid in a big hug.

When they parted, M-O said, "_If you want, I will try to find a way connect with Benny, as I didn't have the most pleasant encounter with him._"

D-FIB grinned. "_That would be great. Although, watching your interaction with him was hilarious._" She giggled.

"_It was not!_" M-O protested, his eyes slanting downwards.

D-FIB was too busy cracking up to reply, so M-O let a small smile grace his features. Watching her being happy, it was safe to say that it was enough to make him try to keep his promise to connect with Benny.


	4. Take One

A few days later, M-O and D-FIB, along with WALL-E and EVE, made their way to McCrea.

"Hi, everyone. What can I do for you?"

"Benny." D-FIB answered.

"Oh, sure. Good thing, too. All he could talk about was you for the past couple days."

"Aww," the defibrillator cooed.

M-O and D-FIB had brought WALL-E and EVE along so M-O could learn about first impressions. Technically, it was his second time meeting Benny, but he wanted to introduce himself properly. Plus, the trash compactor and the white probe were curious about the child-bot.

D-FIB wasted no time in finding the correct door, and jammed a button down, making the door slide aside. To her delight, Benny was already there, busying himself in smearing the walls with finger paint. His eyes lit up at the sight of his friend.

"Dee!" He cried, rushing over to her and jumping up and down.

"Benny!" D-FIB squealed.

The others then arrived, Benny immediately recognizing his other favorite bot. "Moe!"

"Hey." M-O replied, not with the same level of enthusiasm as D-FIB, but trying to make an effort on his promise.

Benny noticed the unfamiliar robots. Curiously, he made his way to them.

WALL-E rolled up, holding out his hand. "WALL-E."

Once again, Benny screwed up the pronunciation. "Wah-w-w-e?"

The garbage-bot was reminded of his own disability to pronounce new words.

Benny looked at WALL-E's outstretched hand, confused on what he was supposed to do with it. EVE, sensing it, shook her husband's other hand and pointed to it.

The tiny bot looked at his own hands, then connected them, bounced them up and down, and peered back at WALL-E and EVE, wanting confirmation. They both nodded.

Understanding, Benny grabbed WALL-E's free hand and shook it enthusiastically, introducing himself, "Benny!"

Remembering the last time she did this, the plant-finder said, "EVE."

Benny cocked his head, processing the word, then repeated it. "EVE?"

The others were surprised that Benny got it right the first time, especially since not even M-O himself could say it correctly in English.

M-O watched the whole thing, coming to a conclusion. In order to connect with Benny, they had to relate with something.

Taking a deep breath, M-O wheeled to the child-bot, but then realized that he had no idea how to start. He jarred his mechanical brain for an idea, almost missing Benny staring hungrily at his brush.

As soon as he realized it, M-O slammed his roller close to his chest, shouting, "No!"

Benny jumped up at the tone, letting out a ear-piercing shriek, then just stood still for a few moments. He then raced to D-FIB, hiding behind her, quivering.

D-FIB had never seen her beloved act this way before. She glared at M-O, catching the realization of what he'd done sinking into his features. With a look of regret, he turned around, hanging his head.

Her face softening, D-FIB handed Benny over to WALL-E and EVE, then glided over to her husband, placing a paddle on his shoulder.

"_I know you're sorry. You just need to say it._" She whispered.

"_How can I? Can he even forgive me?_" M-O frantically asked, but also keeping his voice low.

D-FIB could tell they were in for a discussion. She turned to McCrea. "We're going."

McCrea nodded, leading Benny to another room. Along with WALL-E and EVE, they began a quiet trek home.


	5. Needles and Threads

M-O remained silent the whole way home, only giving a simple goodbye to WALL-E and EVE. D-FIB knew he needed time to think over his actions.

As soon as they reached their place, M-O just went into a corner, his back turned. D-FIB was about to leave when she noticed that he was shaking like a leaf, face buried in his brush, soft noises escaping him. Was that...sobbing?

"M-O?" D-FIB tapped him on the shoulder. She saw him stiffen, then turn around, a sorry expression on his screen.

D-FIB couldn't help but feel sympathy. She knew that he had done wrong, but nobody was perfect, after all.

She pulled him into a hug and softly nuzzled his forehead. She let him cry into her chest.

Sniffling, M-O pulled himself together. "_Th-Thank y-you. I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm getting so emotional._" His voice was raspy from all the weeping.

"_We all have that point in life._" D-FIB replied.

M-O suddenly felt rather embarrassed. Tingling crept on his cheeks, which hadn't happened in a long time.

D-FIB stroked his back. "_You want to talk?_"

Nodding, M-O took a deep breath. "_It's just that, I promised, D-FIB. I promised that I would befriend Benny. That I would try. But instead, I yelled at him. And he's basically just a child. A robot one at that, but still a child!_" His voice cracked.

"_I didn't expect you to succeed the first time. There's still more opportunities. However, I suggest you start by apologizing. I'm sure Benny can forgive you._"

M-O nodded in agreement. Then, he had an idea.

"_Maybe I could...learn more about him. I mean, we never got around to asking where he came from._"

"_That's even better. You can ask the Captain when you get the chance._"

M-O smiled. "_I feel a lot better now. D-FIB, what will I do without you?_"

D-FIB giggled. She hooked her paddle through his roller, then asked, "_What do you say to a date? Just you and me._"

"_That sounds lovely._" M-O and D-FIB went bounding out of their home, in a much better mood.


	6. Understanding

It was a day off from work. M-O decided to use it for his self-assigned task.

"Captain?" McCrea turned to see the cleaner-bot gazing up at him. "Hi, M-O. What can I do for you?"

"Benny's story."

McCrea suddenly looked rather uncomfortable. "Are you sure you want to hear it?"

M-O firmly nodded.

"Okay. I warn you, it's not pleasant to tell, and I doubt it will be pleasant to hear either."

M-O mentally braced himself as McCrea began.

"You see, Benny was created when the _Axiom_ first launched. He was designed to be a playmate to the children. That's why he acts like a child. At first, things were great. The children loved him. Then, as they started getting older and more obese, they started ignoring him. Benny was hurt by that, and began developing his personality. One day, his anger reached a boiling point and refused to do his job. He was quickly caught, and deemed destructive, shut off, and put into storage."

M-O stood in a stunned silence, now regretting his past actions more than ever. Benny was only a child. All he wanted was to play. M-O bowed his head.

McCrea caught M-O's expression. "I know. I discovered him when helping to empty the storages, and I learned his story. His mother disk was damaged, so he doesn't remember what happened. That's why I had you and D-FIB meet him. Since you both have learned to act on your free will, you could teach Benny to do the same. I know that job usually goes to WALL-E and EVE, but I think they could use a break from it. Who knows, he might regain his memories."

The little bot looked up with a determined expression. Benny didn't deserve to remember his past, but he had to know.

"Thank you." M-O said as he turned to go.

McCrea held a hand up. "One more thing, M-O. Another reason why I want Benny to break his programming again is that I have a use for him in mind. You know how he speaks English? I was hoping that he could continue learning it, plus the binary code, so he could be a translator. I know we have devices for that, but they're a pain to set up. Plus, they're not always accurate."

M-O chuckled a bit, remembering a miscommunication that had ended with VAQ-M sucking a flower bed clean from their roots.

Waving goodbye, as he set out for home, M-O thought of something.

Perhaps meeting more robots like himself would help Benny learn.


	7. Mending Bonds and Meet & Greet

M-O waited nervously for D-FIB to come back with Benny. She had heard his backstory, and also agreed to the plan, as long as he promised to apologize first. A few yards away, the reject-bots, along with WALL-E and EVE, were hiding behind a building.

M-O was faintly muttering to himself, trying to summon up confidence. The all too familiar sense of deja vu struck him, remembering the dates spent with D-FIB before their courting and marriage.

_I can do this. No, you can't. Yes, I can. No, you can't. _

"_Will you please shut up!_" M-O whisper-shouted to his thoughts. He really didn't need to hear their arguing.

Some movement in the distance caught his eye, and a sensation of relief soaked into him. Fear came back when he realized what he had to do.

D-FIB led the curious little robot to her husband. Benny hadn't noticed him yet, too caught up in the world around him. He also kept stopping to pick things up.

Benny stared at a rusted metal three-pronged stick. A fork, D-FIB remembered.

"Fork," she emphasized.

"F-F-ork," the child-bot repeated.

Losing interest, Benny tossed the utensil away. He then happened to look in M-O's direction. Letting out a squeak, he took cover behind his friend.

D-FIB gave him a comforting smile. She slowly moved away from him, whispering soothing words, and giving the cleaner-bot a signal.

M-O took a deep breath, then rolled up cautiously to Benny. He wasn't sure if he knew the concept of apologizing yet, but that wasn't going to stop him from trying.

Mustering up all of his strength, M-O breathed, "I'm sorry, Benny."

Benny tilted his head, trying to process the foreign words, save his name. He somehow knew the words weren't meant for him to repeat. So what were they for?

D-FIB shot M-O an apologetic look. "_At least you tried._" She sighed.

M-O racked his brain for something else. What would make a child understand? Then, something came up. He knew it would be uncomfortable, but it was worth a shot.

The cleaning droid stretched his brush out as far as it would go. Benny stared at it in wonder and confusion, not wanting to get yelled at again. To tempt him further, M-O shook and spun the roller, making the whirring sound as loud as possible. As a last resort, he said, "Take."

Benny couldn't resist anymore. However, being ever so cautious, he simply only placed his hands on top of the bristles.

He looked at M-O, who gave him an encouraging look, then at D-FIB, who nodded.

With a cry of joy, Benny grabbed the brush, giggling. D-FIB chuckled along with him. M-O just gave an amused look, finding the antics actually adorable.

D-FIB then signaled the other bots. WALL-E and EVE emerged from behind the building, followed by the rejects. Benny slowly let go of the brush, never having seen so many robots in one place. He recognized two of them.

"Wa-w-wee! EVE!" He called excitingly.

"Hi!" WALL-E and EVE greeted.

The reject-bots then started to surround the child-bot, saying hello and asking a lot of questions. Benny began to look overwhelmed.

"Woah, woah! _Back off! Give him space! One at a time, please!_" D-FIB demanded.

The robots did as they were told. "_D-FIB, you're not going to go all 'EVE' on us, right?_" VN-GO asked. Both females glared at him.

"_Hey, it was a joke._" The painter shrugged and shook it off.

Since most of the rejects couldn't speak English, those who could translated. One by one, each robot introduced themselves. Benny tried repeating their names, with hilarious results. The little robot especially seemed fond of VN-GO, because of the paint. Anyone could tell they were going to get along just fine.

For the first time, M-O was actually beginning to enjoy himself around Benny. The child-bot wasn't that bad when he behaved himself. Too soon, it was time to leave. With the promise of more visits, Benny was taken back home.

Late in the night, just before it was time to turn in, D-FIB had a check-in with her husband. "_What did you learn today?_"

"_I learned that Benny, well, he can be good when he wants to. And when he is, he's fun to be around._" M-O mused to her.

D-FIB got a big grin on her face. "_Things are finally turning around!_"

M-O chuckled. "_You can say that again. Looks like things are going to turn out just fine._"

The two robots then went into sleep mode, unaware of one more obstacle in their path…


	8. The Calm Before the Storm

Over the next few weeks, M-O spent more and more time with Benny. As soon as he could, he was off. Sometimes, WALL-E, EVE, or one of the rejects would tag along. Of all of them, VN-GO was Benny's favorite, as they both loved art. But for some odd reason, D-FIB never came along.

Benny would always ask why she wasn't around, with the answer that she was busy. He would always give a look that said he didn't believe them, but wouldn't question it further. For someone with the mind of a child, the little bot was pretty intelligent.

He knew deep down, something wasn't right. While M-O was coming around to him, there was always a sad, faraway look in his eyes. This time, he would get insight.

M-O was letting Benny play with his brush when the latter asked, "D-FIB?", having learned to pronounce it properly.

M-O breathed a sad sigh. "Busy."

Benny wasn't having any of it. He shook his head.

The cleaner-bot was taken back by that. Since when had Benny been so...observant? Then again, children seemed to be pretty good at finding patterns.

"Talk...please." Benny pleaded, reminding M-O of D-FIB, with green eyes instead of blue.

M-O couldn't hold it in anywhere. Like a dam, he burst open.

"D-FIB, she didn't want to come today! And I don't even know why!" M-O screamed, surprising himself as he did so. He never knew he was capable of speaking full sentences.

Benny, though with a shocked look, simply said, "Go on."

"D-FIB, she's been doing it ever since we made up. And even when I'm home she's still distant. She hardly ever talks to me. And I keep thinking, 'Have I done something wrong?' You see, she has this bad habit of hiding her feelings. I keep waiting for the perfect time to talk to her, but it never comes. What should I do?" M-O's voice wavered as he spoke, and cracked at the end. He buried his face in his brush, shaking.

A pair of tiny white hands touched his shoulder. Despite his size, it turned out the child-bot had the ability to stretch his wheel to make himself taller. Benny was getting familiar vibes from the situation his friend was in. Hadn't he once felt someone was ignoring him and…

Benny mentally shooed his thoughts away. He needed to focus.

M-O looked up, struggling to not break down completely. Benny gave him a cute, childish smile. It was impossible not to chuckle at that.

"Sorry, Benny." M-O said embarrassingly.

Benny grinned again, then turned serious. "Em...oh." He started, shocking the cleaning droid. "Talk...to...D-FIB. W-Want...f-f-friend...b-b-back."

M-O gave a firm nod. "I will, Benny. I will."


	9. The Hurricane in the Room

"D-FIB?"

Said robot turned to see her husband. She was about to brush him off as usual, when he said, "_We need to talk. Don't try to go away this time._"

Sighing reluctantly, D-FIB stayed in one spot as M-O began to speak.

"D-FIB, _I've been noticing that you've been rather distant. I don't think you've spoken more than ten words to me these past few weeks. Benny's been asking about you every time we meet up. Why? I thought you would be happy. I've been keeping up on my promise. What's wrong?_"

D-FIB crossed her paddles and huffed, refusing to speak. M-O narrowed his eyes at her behavior.

"_Are you serious? Now our roles are switched. I'm the one who's seeing Benny, and you won't even go! Look, I'm trying hard to not get angry, but you're making it difficult. I admire your stubbornness, but now is not the time to use it. You've been keeping secrets for far too long now. You've got to break that habit. Talk._"

D-FIB finally spoke up. "_You want me to talk? Fine, I'll talk. I was happy when you made up with Benny, but I feel as if you're...trying too hard. Because of it, you haven't had time for me._"

M-O facepalmed. "_That's all?! I thought the reason would be more serious. Again, you should've told me. We could've set up a date._"

"_I was hoping you would notice._"

"_You still should've told me!_" M-O's voice was rising.

If she could, D-FIB would've clenched her paddles. "_So what? You just expect me to tell you my feelings every time? Like how empty I felt before I met Benny?_"

M-O's eyes widened as D-FIB covered her screen. "You...did?" The former asked.

D-FIB stiffened. "Yes. _I didn't tell you, because I was afraid you'd think that you weren't doing enough for me._"

M-O got angry. "D-FIB! _You know me! I'd never think that! I would've helped you and…_" Then something hit him. "_Wait...you said you felt empty _before _you met Benny, right?_"

"Uh-huh."

"_Then...Benny filled that space._"

"_Correct._"

"_No wonder you warmed up to him so quickly!_"

The robots paused for a few seconds. M-O sighed. "_Look, I'm sorry for unintentionally making you feel abandoned. I also didn't mean to snap at you. I was just angry, and…_"

"_No, I'm the one who should be sorry. I'm the one who kept secrets from you. I'm the one who…who..._" D-FIB's words were cut off by her own sobs. M-O let her lean into his chest as she cried over her mistakes.

"_Let it all out, let it all out._" M-O whispered as he gave her a spark-kiss.

As soon as she calmed down, D-FIB smiled, a real, genuine smile.

"_Thank you, M-O._"

"_No problem. I should tell you it was Benny who convinced me to do this._"

"Really?"

"Uh-huh. _He really wants to see you again._"

"Well, then." D-FIB looped her paddle over M-O's roller. "_How about a surprise visit?_"

"_Sure_."

The robot couple then jumped at the sound of a shriek. They turned around, only to be shocked by who they saw convulsing on the floor.

"Benny?" They cried out in unison.

Sure enough, the little robot was letting out pained screams as he hyperventilated on the ground. Thinking fast, D-FIB reached out and hit the shutdown button. Benny went still.

"D-FIB, _what was that for?_" M-O demanded.

"_It was the only way to relieve him of whatever was troubling. Don't worry, we'll soon turn him on again._" D-FIB then carefully scooped up the child-bot with her paddles. "_Let's go to the Repair Ward._"

Nodding, M-O and his wife then started the journey, wondering what had happened to Benny.


	10. Breakthrough

Benny was in a place of total darkness.

He looked around, seeing nothing but black space. He tried to remember how he got here, but came up with nothing.

He had this weird feeling of lightness. He wasn't floating, yet he wasn't sinking either.

Remembering his voice, the robot called, "Hello?"

Like magic, the darkness gave away to a light shade of purple. Now curious, Benny began to explore, calling out again.

Two bright lights appeared, and sped towards him. Instinct told him to run, but he stood still.

To his surprise, the lights then stopped, and faded to reveal two familiar faces.

"M-O! D-FIB!" He yelled.

But they both shook their heads. "We may look like your friends, but we are not them." The one that took the form of D-FIB said.

Benny drooped a little, then asked, "Where are they?" He then went wide-eyed. "Wait, I can talk normally? How did that happen?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Light-M-O stated.

Benny began to pace around. "I now no longer have the urge to play. Or to act like a child overall. I feel...smarter." He mused.

"Come with us. We'll show you something that might jog your memory." Light-D-FIB offered her paddle. Benny took it, and together the three robots went to a tiny white orb. As if it were a solid object, the defibrillator took it in between her paddles and showed it to Benny. He peered at it.

The orb flashed, then showed some moving images. Benny gasped as if he had been hit with a stone.

"I...I remember! M-O left after my pep-talk, but I followed him without his knowing consent. I don't know what exact words were exchanged between him and D-FIB, but what I know is that they were yelling at each other. And then…" Benny's eyes glossed over. Time seemed to stand still.

Memory swirled through his emerald orbs. Anger, sadness, fear. They were all there.

After what seemed like a long time, the little bot sucked in a breath, then spoke up.

"M-O and D-FIB...their argument triggered some flashbacks. Of my past." Benny went quiet.

"Can you elaborate on that?" Light-M-O asked.

Benny nodded. He knew it would be hard, but he had to at least try.

"I was a robot designed to be a playmate for the children. Even though it was my directive, I had a lot of fun doing it. The children and I had a lot of fun together. But it didn't last long.

"The children, they changed. I don't understand what happened. They stopped playing with me. I was hurt. And then, one day…" Benny then stopped as he started quaking. A few sobs escaped him. Light-D-FIB placed her paddle on his shoulder comfortably.

"Shhhh. It's okay." She soothed. Light-M-O let Benny lean on his shoulder.

As soon as he calmed down, Benny continued.

"I don't know what came over me. I was just so angry. I began to destroy anything that was in my path. The stewards, they caught me. That's all I can remember before one of them broke something in my system…"

Benny closed his eyes and dropped his head. The light-robots looked at each other. "Why did they have to ignore me?" Was all he could say.

Light-D-FIB said, "Benny, you have to understand. Everyone changes as they go through life. The children, they didn't mean to ignore you. They just...changed."

"I know that! Why do people have to change?" Benny asked.

"It's a part of life. Take a look at yourself, for example. Before, you always acted like a innocent child. But things in life caused you to become this way. Nobody's the same when they're older." Light-M-O explained.

"Then why did no one tell me that?!" Benny's voice cracked at the end.

"That is something even we don't know the answer to." The cleaning droid sighed sadly.

Benny stared at his two companions. "Is this some sort of dream world? If it is, do I have to wake up at some point?"

Light-D-FIB nodded. "You can say that. We can also say that, as a result of what happened, you've broken your programming."

"I won't act like a child?"

"Not anymore."

Benny's eyes grew wide. "What am I supposed to do? I don't really know what to do since I don't have a directive anymore."

Light-M-O smiled. "We're sure that M-O and D-FIB can help you. They, after all, have also broken their code."

"Really?"

"It is true. So have WALL-E, EVE, and all the other robots you've met."

Benny smiled sheepishly. "So, I guess I don't need a reason to worry, then."

The purple environment they were in then started to fade into darkness. "Our time here is almost up." Light-D-FIB noticed. She turned to her comrade. "We must be on our way."

Benny held up his hand. "Wait! When I wake up, will I remember this? And when I acted like a child?"

"That depends." Light-M-O answered. "Goodbye." Then he and Light-D-FIB vanished into the void.

Benny shut his eyes tightly as the world around him went black. When he opened them, he was met with the worried faces of his real friends. They were speaking to him, but he couldn't make out the words. All he gasped out was, "I remember!"


	11. Coming to Terms

M-O and D-FIB stared at Benny quizzically. "Huh?"

Benny got up on his own. "I remember! Everything! The lights! They talked to me!"

The robot couple stared at him in confusion, but didn't interrupt.

"They helped me! I now understand my past better!"

"Y-You remember your past?" M-O asked hopefully.

"Yes! I do!"

M-O and D-FIB grinned at each other. "_That explains why he can speak full English._" The former whispered to the latter.

Benny rambled on and on until he finished with a big breath. When he did, M-O breathed, "Mission accomplished."

"What do you mean?" Benny asked.

Caught, M-O stammered, "C-Captain w-w-wanted us t-to h-help you."

"To break your code and remember your past." D-FIB added.

"Oh." Benny said.

The three robots stood in silence. Benny broke it by questioning, "What happened while I was out?"

"We took you to the Repair Ward. Nothing's wrong, thankfully." D-FIB answered.

"What were you doing at our house anyway?" M-O asked sternly.

"Oh, uh…" Benny said sheepishly. "I wanted to check up on you. Remember that I still had the mind of a child. And children get into mischief easily."

"And what happened? I was so scared when I saw you squirming on the ground." D-FIB stated, worried.

"Don't think this is your fault; you wouldn't have known. Your argument triggered some flashbacks of my past. I don't remember specifically what words set me off, though."

M-O and D-FIB exchanged guilty looks. Benny, however, gave a reassuring smile when he saw.

The clattering of footsteps made the three robots turn around. It was McCrea, out of breath.

"Benny! I heard what happened! Are you okay?"

"Captain, I assure you, I'm fine." Benny replied, shocking the human.

"You can talk normally?"

"It's a long story." M-O explained.

"Let's hear it, then."

A few minutes was all it took. When the story was finished, McCrea said, "Well, since you've broken your programming, I don't think you need to go back to your room."

Benny got a surprised look on his face. "What?"

McCrea turned to M-O and D-FIB. "Benny needs to be around robots more often. He needs to learn more about the world around him. Even though he's smarter now, he still has a lot to learn about Earth. Remember my intent for him? He also needs to learn the binary code. And I was hoping you two are up to the task."

M-O and D-FIB looked at each other, silently considering it. "So you're saying…" D-FIB raised her paddle, scrunching her eyes together.

"Take Benny in. Be his parents. Teach him everything you know."

"Parents?" The robot couple questioned.

McCrea facepalmed. "Oh, right. You don't know what that is. You see, a parent is someone who takes in and cares for a child. They give them unconditional love. They also act as guides, helping the child overcome life's challenges. It's harder than it sounds, but I believe you two are capable. Are you up to it?"

"Can you step aside for a moment?" M-O asked.

"Of course. This is a life-changing decision after all." McCrea led Benny out of the room.

"_What do you think, D-FIB? Are we going to be Benny's parents?_"

D-FIB pondered the question for a moment. "_I do love Benny as if he were my own, and he returns the affection. I'm also sure he would love it if he gets to live with us…_"

"_But, like the Captain said, this is a big responsibility. Not sure if I'm up for it._"

"_M-O, all Benny needs is a guide. A guide who can help him on his journey through life. A guide who can love him. We already know everything there is to know about Earth, and fluent in the binary code and almost mastered English. Plus, you've grown very fond of him. I think that's enough._"

M-O took in everything, and realized his answer.

"_You're right, D-FIB. We will do it._" He then went over and knocked on the door. "Captain? You can come in now."

McCrea walked into the room with Benny in tow, the latter with a hopeful look on his face. It was evident he heard the talk the human had with the robots.

The cleaner-bot and defibrillator-bot stood, smiling. "We will do it." The former said.

Benny jumped up, letting out an excited squeal. "Yes, yes, yes!" He screamed. Everyone smirked at that. Looks like Benny hadn't completely let go of his childish tendencies.

"Congratulations." McCrea said with a grin. Then Benny rushed over to his new parents, hugging them with all his might. M-O and D-FIB returned the affection. McCrea stated, "I will arrange for some robots to transfer Benny's charging station to your home. But, why don't you take him home right now?"

Immediately, the new-found family agreed, and went straight out of the Repair Ward. Neither of them could wipe the grins off their faces.

Benny bounced on his wheel, in a ridiculously giddy mood. M-O and D-FIB felt the same way, only they contained it in better. They arrived at their destination. To their surprise, Benny didn't go in right away.

Instead, he simply traced his finger against the concrete-and-brick material, until he reached the sunset mural, his eyes marveling at the yellows and pinks and oranges and blues. "Who did this? It's pretty."

"Remember VN-GO? He did this as a wedding gift to us." D-FIB explained.

"Wedding?"

D-FIB was about to speak, but M-O held up his brush. "We'll explain tomorrow. For now, let's get you settled in."

Benny went inside, followed by the robot couple. His eyes traveled around the area, wishing to explore every inch, but his low battery warning chose that moment to bleep.

"Oh! Looks like your tour shall have to wait until you're fully charged." M-O said as he pressed the shutdown button, turning the child-bot off.

A little while later, after Benny's charging station was installed and the little robot currently plugged in, D-FIB came up to her husband with a discovery.

"_I was telling our friends the good news when VN-GO accidentally spilled some paint, blue and yellow to be exact._" D-FIB pointed at her eyes and M-O's for reference. "_The colors mixed together, and guess what they made? Green. And that's the color of Benny's eyes._"

"_Wow. Looks like fate is working its magic again._" M-O stated.

"_You can say that again._" M-O then did something he hadn't done in a long time: He leaned in and kissed D-FIB full on the screen, no electric spark present. D-FIB quickly melted into it.

Yes, they knew there would be more hardships in the future. They knew that things weren't going to be all happy-go-lucky. But, with a fresh face in the picture, they knew their life was brightening up in a new way.

Little did they know, in many years' time, things will start to look bleak, especially for M-O and his family...

**More foreshadowing! Yes, this will become a trilogy. I have the concept, but I haven't begun writing yet. If I had to guess, I probably won't get started until at least August, after school starts.**

**Speaking of foreshadowing, there's more sprinkled throughout. Like, as mentioned, the eye colors of the main characters. I chose green eyes for Benny for a reason!**

**The second-to-last chapter also serves as a hint, with Light-M-O and Light-D-FIB helping Benny.**

**I chose the name Benny for my OC because I thought it was cute. Just like the little robot himself.**

**I warn you, for the next sequel, I won't be easy on you guys. I'm thinking of doing what I did for my last story, attaching a trailer.**

**Part of the reason I wrote this story is to show everyone that M-O and D-FIB aren't the perfect couple. They still fight and have disagreements. I realized that I may have given that 'perfect' vibe in the previous story.**

**Now, I'm going to focus more on ****_El Maravilloso Mundo de Pixar_****. Keep sending your suggestions!**

**Goodbye, everyone. CocoDisney out!**


End file.
